Classroom Teacher Integrated

After students enter the activity area, have students sit in their own personal space. Review with them how to take there own heart/pulse rate and then handout writing utensils and the handout. Have them take their pulse for ten seconds as they are sitting in a resting position. Multiply that number by 6 and then they need to record their resting heart rate on the handout. (Students can either work alone or in pairs to record their pulse rates on the handout.)

Have students put handout and pencil in a safe space on the side of the activity area. Then ask the students to walk around the general space for a while to the pace of some slow soothing music (Most music by the artist known as ENYA works well here). Then, have them stop to take their pulse and they need to record the results on the handout.

Next, have the students skip or jog around the general space to the pace of a slightly more uptempo piece of music (a country song may work well here). Record the results on the handout. Then, have the students move in the space as fast as possible around the general space to the pace of very energetic and fast piece of music. After a few minutes, stop, take the pulse, and record on the handout.

Now it is time to reverse the process of the above explanation and begin to lower the pulse using slower paced music. Each time use music that corresponds to the desired pace by first:

• moving semi-quickly (i.e., hopping, skipping, jogging) for a few minutes. Take pulse and record on the handout.
  
• moving slowly (i.e., walking, strolling, etc.) through activity area. Stop, take pulse, and record on the handout.
  
• sitting down and resting in personal space. Take pulse and record on the handout.